Cocktails and Crochet: Australia’s Grandma’s Bar

I think the universe is trying to tell me that I need to travel the world and explore its crochet. After all, I just recently learned about the crochet-covered hotel room in the UK and now I’ve learned about a granny chic cocktail bar named Grandma’s Bar in Sydney, Australia.

From what I’ve read online, Grandma’s Bar sounds like the kind of dive bar that could be popular in San Francisco if it were located here. It is located in a basement beneath a guitar store and you have to take Astroturf covered stairs to get down there. Once inside, you’ll get the option of beer and wine but it’s really a cocktail place with an emphasis on rum.

Hospitality Magazine recently profiled this bar. They talked to 85-year-old Beth Bradey, the grandma of the bar’s co-owner James. James is the one who designed the bar with granny chic (or granny kitsch) in mind. Naturally there are crochet blankets incorporated to the decor of the bar. And of course there are some doilies.

This bar was a “small bar finalist” for the 2011 Sydney Business Awards. My favorite description of it comes from Foursquare: “A Retro-Sexual haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded Granny glamour – serving up some of the best drinks in town.” Guess I’d better pack my vintage bags for a trip to Sydney sometime soon!